Sacrifices
by asesina
Summary: Post-finale. Damon reacts to Stefan's sacrifice and vows to get his brother back. Elena is there every step of the way.


Sacrifices by asesina

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.

a/n:follow up fic to 2x22. Spoilers for the finale. Damon reacts to Stefan's sacrifice and vows to get him back. Elena is there to reassure him every step of the way.

Oneshot for now, may become a longer story later on.

I hope you like it!  
>-0-<p>

"He just sacrificed everything to save his brother."

Katherine's words hung over the room like a dense, heavy storm cloud. Elena eyed her doppelganger cautiously, unconsciously edging towards Damon in a decidedly protective manner.

"Katherine," Damon began weakly. He wanted to pin her down and force her to answer his questions about Stefan, but she was a ball of restless, nervous energy, unstable as lightning in a bottle.

"Wait," he whispered.

Katherine's lips parted for a moment as if she wanted to say something else, but they quickly curled up into a complacent smirk as she turned on her heels and disappeared with a flash.

"Where the _hell_ did she go?" Damon growled. He struggled to sit up in bed and instantly regretted the sudden movement.

"Damn," he muttered.

Elena rushed over to his side and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"I guess the elixir will take some time to work," she mused quietly.

"So it seems," he said with a snort.

"Damon, Katherine is long gone. There's no way that she would have taken us to Stefan, even if she _did_ choose to stay for more than a second," Elena reminded him.

"I never will be able to understand that bitch," Damon said as he shook his head in annoyance.

"And what the hell was Stefan thinking? I guess that offering to trade himself for Jenna wasn't noble or altruistic enough," Damon added angrily. He absentmindedly rubbed his tender forearm and winced as he felt the scar tissue around the werewolf bite.

The dark-haired vampire lapsed into silence and stared at the wall for a few moments before Elena's words broke the tension in the room.

"We'll get him back, Damon," she said quietly.

"Of all the people in the world, why do it for me?" Damon asked quietly, demanding an answer from the unbearable silence that was again threatening to take over the room.

"You're his brother, Damon. He wasn't about to lose you," Elena replied.

"It doesn't work that way. I'm the older brother. I can get sick, I can get hurt, I can die. Younger brothers are supposed to listen and behave and allow their older brothers to protect them," Damon continued as his voice rose in anger.

"Damon, getting angry won't help you now. You still need to rest," Elena said gently. She put a slender hand on Damon's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

Damon turned his head away from Elena, shifting his gaze to the floor as he exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. Could you get me my phone, though?" he asked.

"Sure," Elena said with a small smile.

She pulled Damon's phone off the dresser and tossed it over to him.

He pulled open his contacts list and took a deep breath as he dropped a tremulous finger on the entry for Stefan's cell.

There was an interminable silence, and then the phone rang and rang and rang.

"You've reached Stefan. Leave me a message."

"Damn," Damon hissed.

He waited for the beep of the mailbox before he lifted the phone to his lips and spoke quietly into the receiver.

"Stefan, I hope to God that you're not screening my calls. If you're not, then give me a call back as soon as you get this message. I swear to you, I am going to kill you when I see you again for the stunt that you pulled. Just-," his voice faltered and he swallowed hard around the lump in his throat.

Why the hell did he have to care so much?

"Just give me a call when you get this message," Damon said tersely.

He threw his phone back on the dresser and was a little amazed that it didn't shatter into a hundred pieces.

"Damon, I want him back as much as you do. We'll work together, but we need a plan," Elena said firmly.

"I know," Damon replied stiffly. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood on his feet. Elena rushed over and threw a supportive arm around his waist.

"Damon, you shouldn't be up yet," she whispered. He shook his head and stared outside, as if fixated on some unseen object of supreme importance.

"We're doing this. I'm not going to let him do this for me," he said quietly.

"He already made his choice, Damon. It wasn't your fault that Stefan wanted to save his older brother. We just have to save him from Klaus," Elena replied. She flashed Damon a quick, reassuring smile, but he wasn't paying attention.

"Yeah, or from himself," he said ominously.

"I'll call Alaric. You should rest, Damon," Elena said quietly, pleading with her eyes as she motioned towards the bed.

"Too late for that," Damon said quickly, and Elena understood. She was an older sister, after all.

"We can do this," she repeated. Elena reached for Damon's hand and felt his fingers curl around her own as he took in a deep breath and stepped towards the door.

"_I won't let you down, brother. Now it's my turn to save you_," Damon thought as he felt Elena give his hand a squeeze.

"_I just hope we're not too late_."


End file.
